Hello! My name is Matt and I’m an EFL teacher. I qualified back in 1997 (CELTA) and have taught English in several countries including Greece, Poland, Japan and England. I spent a long time living in Osaka, Japan, (2006-2013 and 2016-2018 ) where I taught English for the British Council. Living in Japan was a wonderful experience; so different from the English way of life! Japanese food in particular was a revelation; so many unique kinds of food and styles of cooking. One time my shrimp were so “fresh” they jumped off the plate! My students, and people in general, were very kind and made me feel extremely welcome in their country. We often socialised together, going to restaurants, pubs and in the summer, BBQs under the cherry blossoms. To be sure, I left Japan with many wonderful memories.

I have taught almost every kind of English class: general conversation, IELTS, study skills, business English, university courses and medical English. I also gave talks on various aspects of British culture while working for the British Council to students and members of the public. In 2018 I decided to return to England to live, perhaps I was getting a little homesick! Apart from teaching English, I also taught philosophy when I was a graduate student in New Orleans. Unfortunately my studies were interrupted in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, which utterly devastated the city.

In my free time I really enjoy windsurfing on my local beach and in the winter, when the weather is often freezing cold, I love to play snooker. When I lived in Japan I often went into the mountains to go snowboarding, which was absolutely fantastic fun–unfortunately England doesn’t really have any good places for snow sports! Other activities I enjoy are reading, watching documentaries, and keeping house plants.

BA Politics and International Relations (Reading University), MA Legal and Political Theory (University College London), CELTA (1997)

Matthew lives alone.